US drone strike kills more than 100 Al-Shabab in Somalia

WASHINGTON: US forces conducted an air strike against the al Qaeda-affiliated Shabaab group in Somalia on Tuesday, killing more than 100 militants, military officials said.

“In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, US forces conducted an air strike in Somalia against an al-Shabaab camp on Tuesday, November 21 at approximately 10:30 am local Somalia time (0730 GMT), killing more than 100 militants,” the US Africa Command said in a statement.

The operation occurred 200km northwest of the capital, Mogadishu.

The US military has in recent months upped the tempo of its operations in Somalia, conducting a growing number of drone strikes against Shabaab and other militants.

On November 13, the Pentagon said US forces had killed 40 Shabaab and Islamic State fighters in a series of Somalia strikes over several days.

The surge in US operations came after President Donald Trump in March loosened the constraints on the US military to take actions against alleged terrorists when they judge it is needed, without seeking specific White House approval.